Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by marine ecosystems. The term “blue carbon” is an extension of the well-known concept of “green carbon,” which refers to the carbon stored by terrestrial ecosystems like forests and grasslands.
Coastal marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows play a crucial role in sequestering carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and storing it in their biomass (leaves, branches, roots, etc.) and sediments. These ecosystems are remarkably efficient in sequestering carbon, with the oceans playing the role of the largest heat and carbon sinks on the planet.